By NRA Show Hot Chef Challenge 2010 Winner Jeremy Hanlon
Ask yourself what is your favorite thing to eat. It could be a favorite chocolate dessert, something you always loved growing up, possibly foie gras for those indulgent types, or maybe something as simple as the ripest, most flavorful peach.
Right now, my favorite thing to eat is PASTA! I am not talking about the stuff you buy in a box that has a 3-year expiration date, I am referring to fresh pasta – the kind that cooks in several minutes and absorbs every flavor your sauce brings to the table.
I think the overall consensus is that it's too much of a task to make. Well, I disagree! As a chef, I’ve been taught and experimented with countless techniques here in the U.S. and Europe (yes, Italy was one of the countries!) and my recipe yields the same result as standing over a sand castle of flour while delicately incorporating the egg with a fork, but it takes half the time.
Pasta Dough:
1 kilogram (1 bag) of PASTA “00” flour
9 whole large eggs
5 yolks
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1) Place all of your ingredients in a mixer with your dough hook attachment on low speed. Allow all of your ingredients to slowly incorporate into a large ball shape – approximately 6-8 minutes. (note: depending on flour – you may need to add a couple drops of h2o)
2) Remove dough from bowl and any excess pieces. Your dough should be a pale yellow color, which does not stick to your fingers when held. Knead dough for several minutes until the dough has a nice sheen to it. Divide into 4 equal pieces, knead again into 4 small balls and wrap in plastic. Allow to rest in fridge for at least 1 hour. Overnight is better!
3) Depending on what type of pasta you are making will determine how you roll out your pasta. I recommend flattening the individual balls of pasta into an oval shape, then running the pasta through your widest setting several times. Then reducing the width of your pasta machine until you reach the desired thickness.
4) Your pasta will cook in 3-4 minutes in salted boiling water.
Now, I am never going to tell you what sauce to serve with your pasta because that depends mainly on who is eating and, of course, what you may have in your fridge (or restaurant’s kitchen) at the time.
Here, I made a simple basil pesto and tossed it with some zucchini julienne, roasted garlic, local tomatoes and of course topped it with fresh Parmesan cheese. Give it a shot – the flour you get all over yourself will be well worth the great taste and texture you create!
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.